Laelia Sayre
by Lsquared
Summary: Harry's world is interrupted by the daughter of Lirael Garth Nix books btw who has been made part of the next Free Magic uprising, this time with Voldemort as an ally.
1. Chapter 1 Strange Happenings

CHAPTER 1

Unbeknownst to the sleeping figure, a shadow of a creature loomed in a corner of her bedroom. It had a purpose, and a prepared and well thought out one at that. The creature smiled hideously as it thought of the rewards he would reap if the plan went successfully. Surely its master would pay him for his work. It's reeking, rotting flesh and mud ached to be alive, and it would do anything to reach its goal. That was the way with the Dead, no matter what form it took, the spirits of each and every one existed in this world to feed on the life of the living and to eventually live again. But for now, the creature could only lurk in the shadows and cast the spell that would begin the feast that would appease its desire. It was the only thing that kept it from attacking the sleeping girl, and this creature was smart enough to follow the plan, unlike one of the lower Dead. Still grinning, it spoke a spell and cast it on the girl, and she stirred in her sleep and spoke out, mumbling the same words that the Dead creature had spoken. A light surrounded the girl, and as the spell began to do its work, a loud bark rang out and woke her, just as she disappeared from the room. The creature breathed loudly, proud of its work, but didn't dare to shout out and give itself away. Its work being done, it stealthily crept out the way it came, no one except a cat noticing any disturbance.

The white cat crept into the room, nosing around as if trying to find something. It paused for a second in its search to sniff the air. The cat hissed, fur standing on end when it caught the pungent scent hanging on the air before resuming its search. It did find something it wasn't looking for though. An open book about something or another that used to be read to the missing girl as a young child for a bedtime story. The cat overlooked that detail at the moment, finding the original task more important. Discovering that the object in question was gone, it quickly ran out of the empty room to warn his mistress. It wasn't too worried about the girl, knowing that she had the bag, but the goings on didn't promise anything good.

The cat pushed open the door and, not caring about disturbing the sleeping woman, leapt onto the bed and said, "Sabriel, you might want to hear this." The woman, Sabriel immediately woke and understanding the seriousness in the cat's tone, replied, "What is it, Mogget?"

'Great,' Laelia thought. 'One minute I'm sleeping in bed and the next,' she looked around at the swirling lights transferring her to who knew where, 'well…I don't know!' All she did know about it was that she was moving for sure. Once again the bark rang out and she looked down at her side, where the bag of things was hanging, attached to her wrist. Everyone had a feeling that something was brewing again in the Old Kingdom and decided to take the precaution of tying a bag of things they might end up needing, come an unexpected opportunity. She thanked the Charter for that stroke of luck. Then she suddenly became worried about the others, and almost just as soon heard another bark. Realizing that she still hadn't checked on her bag, she finally opened it to extract a small stone figure of a dog. It was warm and pulsing with energy.

"Oh, Dog, I'm so sorry!" She paused when she felt the stone shake, "Hold on, I'll get you out!" The Disreputable Dog barked approvingly this time. 'Maybe the Dog knows something,' thought Laelia. She began the long, tiring process, knowing that no matter how much time she had until she ended up at her destination, she needed the Dog's help.

Finally, as the swirling lights started to give her a headache and the Dog had conveniently finished telling what she knew, she knew she had arrived. The Dog was now her normal self, not the small, soapstone statue she had been not too long ago. Laelia sometimes preferred her as the latter. The light stopped swirling and for a moment was a solid white before it started fading away to reveal where she had been sent. She and the Dog sat quietly waiting for the light to disappear. When it did, she couldn't help but gasp and mentally kick herself for making a noise that might give her away. Really there didn't seem to be all that much risk considering she was sitting on a somewhat comfortable bed hidden by curtains that were pulled all the way around. No one could see her, but then there was no way of telling at the moment if there was anyone or anything on the other side. Then she heard someone shuffling around, and realizing that whoever it was might be coming to check on her bed, mentally drew a warding mark to turn the person's interest away from the bed. Just in time too, because they were just about to part the curtains. Sighing with relief, she slumped back on the pillow with the Dog next to her.

She must have dozed off because it seemed a little lighter outside the curtains now, and the Dog was patiently sitting there as if waiting for her, a sign that she had indeed done something that didn't really risk anything. Glaring at the Dog for not waking her as she received slobbery licks on the face, Laelia started thinking about what to do. Finally she decided it was safe to whisper to her companion.

"Dog, do you think we can risk looking past the curtain?" The Dog waited a second to reply.

"Well, we're not getting much done good or bad just sitting here, are we? Of course we can. I'm starting to feel a little cramped in here. Not to mention hungry." She scratched her ear impatiently. Laelia sighed. 'Okay, fine. We'll decide what to do from there, I suppose.

"There you go!" replied the Dog. "Good call!" Laelia glared at her.

"Whatever."

Taking a deep breath, she peeked out of the curtain and saw, well, more beds in a room. Three beds to be exact and it appeared to Laelia that it was a dorm room of some kind. The light she had seen through the curtains came from the moon, shining brightly right outside a window on a wall opposite a door. It looked safe enough; safe enough to explore. A sense of excitement started to spread through her body as it did when she explored the Abhorsen's house or the castle at Belisaere, her home. Only this time, she had absolutely no idea where she was or where she was going.

She shrank the bag with a charter mark and motioned to the Dog. The Dog came easily enough since she had been ready to go a long time ago. Quickly and quietly the pair slipped off the bed and out of the door, and coming to a staircase, they decided to continue and go down. It was understandably dark, but were surprised to find that they were in a castle, but they didn't recognize it from anywhere in the Old Kingdom. Once they were at the bottom of the staircase, they came to a room with a fireplace and some chairs and couches, probably used as some gathering place or something. They started moving toward what appeared to be the only exit when Laelia noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She jumped, startled before she realized that it was a girl sleeping on one of the couches, quill in hand and book and parchment on the floor next to her. Laelia pointed it out to the Dog with her eyebrows raised. She had parchment? If they weren't in the Old Kingdom as far as they knew and Ancelstierre and everywhere else across the wall didn't use it anymore, being more in touch with technology, then where _were_ they? It didn't make sense. The Dog acknowledged it but motioned that they should move on anyway. She agreed and they pushed open the door. It led to a hallway and then another, and they came upon rooms and more rooms in other hallways. They looked in some of them, and they all appeared to be classrooms. The castle started to look more and more like a school, like Wyverly in Ancelstierre.

They came to a trophy room and were about to read the plaques to figure out where exactly they were when they heard a noise. When Laelia turned around, the Dog was gone and she realized that the Dog had done it again: disappeared when she needed support, just like she had for her mother. The look of anger and annoyance about the common behavior of the Dog changed quickly to surprise and apprehension when she saw a dark cat with accusing eyes appear from around the corner.

She wished she was the Dog right now, able to accomplish a smooth getaway leaving even her companions wondering what happened. Though Laelia knew that the Dog was hiding like she usually did to keep herself a secret from others, but that still hurt her knowing that somewhere she was watching her get caught. The only redeeming factor was that she knew the Dog wouldn't abandon her but follow her and later show her face when she decided it was a good time.

The cat started meowing loudly as soon as she spotted Laelia as if she was calling someone. Laelia was only partly relieved when she discovered the someone was a human being, definitely alive although not very…nice looking. The old man in front of her got a good look, laughed out loud, and, finally when he got over himself, managed to say in a gleeful tone, "Well, do we have _another_ student out of bed tonight? Say, what house might you be in, eh- so that I know what teacher to inform of your weeks' detention with me!" He grinned maniacally, waiting for her response. But he was disappointed because Laelia could only stand there, shocked and very confused. "What? Having second thoughts about tricking good 'ole Filch and his cat are you? Well, then I guess I'll be taking you to Professor Dumbledore now to see that you get what you deserve!" She continued to stand helplessly. "Are you mute? Come on!" With that, he grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her through more hallways and up and down staircases until they reached a gargoyle. Filch stopped, mumbled something and a doorway appeared in front of them. She suppressed a gasp before he dragged her the rest of the way to Dumbledore, whoever that was. 'Wait!' she thought, 'Why does that sound familiar?' But the memory was too vague to come up with anything yet.

Filch grabbed for the doorknob, called out "Professor Dumbledore, sir!" and swung the door open. Pulling Laelia inside, Filch brought her towards a cheery, tired old man with noticeable sparkly blue eyes. She couldn't help but feel a little better. She stood there silently as Filch made a scene yelling and screaming about the third student out of bed while the old man, Dumbledore, she assumed, patiently sat at his desk, not moving except for his eyes as he watched Filch pace around his office. If the circumstances were different, Laelia was sure she would have secretly smiled at him when Filch wasn't looking.

At long last, Filch, apparently the caretaker or something, finished his story, and Dumbledore thanked him and to her surprise asked him to leave and resume what he had been working on. She hadn't expected to get a civilized talk to explain herself.

"Please sit down, dear, and tell me everything you wish. I'm you're friend, honestly, and I know you're not supposed to be here – I know all of my students, and at your age I would be ashamed to have forgotten such a pretty young lady."

Laelia hesitated as she blushed. 'Is he really this nice or was it just some disguise? That Filch guy is like the complete opposite of this kind old man…I wish the Dog were here. I guess I'll just go along with it.' Her mind was made up, and Dumbledore didn't need to be told.

"Please, sit down. First, your name." He began.

"It's Laelia Sayre, sir." Dumbledore smiled.

"Well, Laelia, you can call me Albus in private, but I have I feeling you'll have to call me Professor Dumbledore otherwise. Now, what brings you to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, especially at this time of night?"

"Oh, um, you see…" Laelia stopped short. She suddenly realized why his name sounded so familiar. When she was little, her mother read her bedtime stories about a magical place different from her own, a whole different kind of magic with a whole different array of monsters and heros and creatures. And then there was Hogwarts, the greatest school of magic. She still had the huge book at home, she had kept it after her mom had died to keep those memories alive. And somehow she was transferred to the place she had dreamed about so often. She smiled. If only her mother could have known.


	2. Chapter 2 Explanations

Chapter 2!

Hey guys! Heh, I kinda forgot to leave you guys notes last time, so I'll try this time. This chapter I'm gonna try to explain some of the Garth Nix stuff if you haven't read it so you don't get too confused, though I have to say, that'll be really hard cause Lirael itself is about 705 pages long…yeah, I liked it that much. Then there's the prequel Sabriel and the sequel to both, Abhorsen. Man, I was totally sobbing at the end of that one sigh it was so sad and sweet. Well, I won't give it away, and I encourage you to read them if you haven't – at least Lirael and Abhorsen anyway. I always wanted to write an hp fanfic, and I thought adding a little charter magic would make it more fun as well as make it more likely that I would continue it. Hey, don't forget to review; I want to know what others think about it. Constructive crit is welcome too. I'd love to hear from you. Um, let's see…I want to eventually make the chapters longer than the first and I hope to do that with this one as well! Uh, I'm just gonna be busy a lot, though I'll try to get this in if it's worth anything to anyone. I hope it is even tho you don't really have anything to go off of yet. Just comment, let me know what you wanna hear for clarification. Luv y'all who's reading it!!! Enjoy! -----hey, um….i had a problem….starting here is a new (current) note…See, I started chapter 2 a long time ago but never finished it, and then a week and a half ago I started it over and was just about done…was taking awhile cause I was trying to add as much info as possible in as few words as possible that made sense, and I was stupid enough to lose my floppy disk…grr. What makes me sooo mad is that the day before I lost it I was reviewing what I wrote to add more to finish it as well as writing topics for next chapter and I was like, 'hmm, I wonder if I should save this stuff on my computer in case I lost it???' but then I decided not to cause whenever I lose my floppy I end up finding it like a day or two later. Of course, I end up losing it at school and I get all mad at myself- after totally freaking out, of course again. I have searched everywhere in my power, to no avail. So, a little half heartedly, I will explain everything all over again for you though it probably won't be as good as the first version, well, the 2nd version counting the little 1st attempt that I'm using for the beginning of the 2nd(3rd) version. Hmmm…well, hope you understood that. If I ever find the floppy I will post that version cause I put a lot of effort into it and all. So yeah, here we go….

"Ho-Hogwarts?" Laelia asked, hoping it was true. At least then she would know something of where she was. And she would enjoy it too.

"Yes-" Dumbledore began, a little curious. Laelia shoved some hair behind her ear, excited.

"Oh well, then…this will be interesting…what should I tell you-I don't know where to start!" 'It might be easier to figure this out than I thought…' She decided, feeling more confident.

"Where did you come from, how did you get here, why, who's involved- those always work well." The professor must have been used to this kind of thing since he was throwing them at her like he had them filed away, ready to be opened for use. Laelia wondered how much she should say. She figured as much as was connected to Hogwarts and then maybe what she had been thinking of prior to ending up here- how her family had suspected something might be brewing…it might actually end up affecting the old man more than either of them knew. This was probably more serious than she had made it so far. She wished she could have talked to the Dog about this. Remembering she was supposed to say something, she looked at the professor who was patiently waiting for a reply. Laelia was grateful that he understood she needed time to sort through everything. He would probably prove pretty helpful to her.

"I suppose I should start with how I got here, then," She began. ( end old part that I used for this new part that starts now ) "I bet it's really comforting to hear this, but I really don't know how, except that I woke up right before this white light surrounded me, and I was transported to a bed somewhere around here, and then I started exploring and managed to get myself here. Yes, transported –through what means, I can't begin to guess except that I when I woke up, I was muttering some kind of spell. I'm from a whole different world of magic, Professor. The advantage I have here is that I know a lot about it, since my mother used to read me the stories from a book of mine that magically updates itself, so I think it's pretty current. If it is, then the famous Harry Potter is about my age, and I'm pretty much caught up with the rest. There is a lot I don't know though, especially the _magic_, which could be a problem. I don't know how strong my magic is here, but fortunately I have a sack with a small charter stone that can help channel the magic that I know. My family has been suspicious of a possible uprising for awhile, so we decided to tie sacks filled with shrunken supplies – everything that we could think of that we might need. Fortunately we could fit a lot, and I have it with me now. I'm pretty sure you could use some info about where I'm from as well, but there is so much to say and probably not enough time if the school term is in session." Dumbledore nodded in agreement, trying to begin to comprehend the situation at hand.

"Yes, the school year has started, and I agree. You can tell me a simplified version of your story and we can get down to business. I do believe that my school and I will be a big part of your future and you of ours, so we might as well start working together now. So, go on, where you came from," the professor prompted.

"Alright, so- I'm from the Old Kingdom, a country of charter magic, which borders Ancelstierre which in turn borders several other countries that until 30 years ago were feuding amongst themselves. Both Ancelstierre and those countries are without magic, sort of like your, um, oh yes- muggles here. Separating the Old Kingdom from Ancelstierre is the Wall, which also separates the magic from the non-magic nations, creating quite an interesting visual effect. It is heavily patrolled to protect unknowing 'muggles' from the dangers that plague the Old Kingdom. These dangers are known as the Dead and Necromancers. The Dead have a sort of unwritten ranking system, with the lowest and most numerous Dead Hands up through a great variety of very powerful creatures and evils. The higher the ranking is, the more intelligent and powerful the Dead get. I say that because the Dead Hands are pretty stupid, but what they lack in brains is generously made up for in strength. Now I warn you: many people misjudge that strength not only because of their stupidity, but also their appearance. These things are rotting human or animal corpses that are infused with the spirits of those who have died but not yet moved on. Most Dead are created by the infusion of a life-hungry spirit by the power of a necromancer's bells. These are seven bells that grow more powerful with size. I can further explain everything later as needed, don't forget. But for now, I'll move on. What the bells basically do is control spirits in and out of Death. Death, in a most simplified description, is a very cold river that travels through several precincts, the final one being the place where the dead spirits travel on when it is their time. Most spirits manage to be pulled by the river's strong current to the final destination, but some manage to hold on, lurking in the in-between precincts trying to find a way out into Life. They crave life, which they get by taking it from others if they manage to get back into Life. They usually get there through the work of a necromancer. The bells that they use are also used by the Abhorsen and the Abhorsen-in-waiting, only to reverse that which was done by a necromancer. Both necromancer and Abhorsen can go into Death, but staying there too long or too often takes a toll on their bodies, the most tell-tale sign being really pale skin. Mine is an example. At the moment, I am Abhorsen-in-waiting, and my aunt, Sabriel, is the current Abhorsen. To be Abhorsen, you must have it in your blood. It's a family thing, and you know if you're the family member to be the next one. I was actually supposed to follow my mother, but she died when I was young. The mark on my forehead is the mark that all charter mages have, and not all in the Old Kingdom can use the magic. The royal family, the clayr and many citizens have the power, but many do not. I am part of the royal family by marriage of my aunt to my uncle, I have the blood of the clayr from my mother, and because I have both the blood of the clayr and Abhorsen, I am the second Remembrancer, my mother being the first. The clayr are the Seers who live in the Glacier on a mountain, separated from the rest of population, but are in contact mainly with the royal family. The Remembrancer can go into Death and see the past. It makes sense. The blood of the Seeing Clayr and of the Abhorsen who can travel into death creates the Remembrancer who, in Death, can See the past, something that the Dead have in common. Anyway, that's the gist of the Old Kingdom, but there is so much more. Oh! Before I forget, I need you to understand something." She paused to see how Dumbledore was doing. He seemed to have absorbed everything pretty well. Laelia was impressed.

"Sure. Go ahead." That's all that the old man chose to say.

"I cannot stress enough, but I have my bells with me, shrunken down, and I will carry them around as I don't think I would have been sent here for nothing to happen – there has to be a reason – so I want you to know that these bells can be very fickle, and if not used correctly, if they don't sound right, then something bad could happen, usually the reverse of the command put on the ringer. So, my point is that no one, especially students, is allowed to touch my bells except for me." Looking at the professor she noticed that he was in deep thought. It only took him a minute or so to reply.

"I understand. I will make that known. Now. We will be working on this together, and you can't very well get around here without someone noticing so I have decided to ask you to stay as a student. You will have to take all classes in your grade and study topics that a student at your age has been taught already. That is a lot of work, but I can talk to the teachers and we will make it as easy and efficient as possible. Maybe being knowledgeable in our magic as well will prove to be a very good thing. Also, you will need your own supplies and wardrobe as well as a house to belong to. So - well at this point it's Saturday morning, so we can use today as the transition and major plan day, I suppose. Hogsmeade isn't too far away, so you can shop for your things there, and then you can get settled into the room that you appeared in, which will easily decide your house, and I will send an elf to find you and bring you back to me where I will have some of the teachers for a last meeting before I will introduce you tomorrow morning at breakfast. It's a lot to do, but I think we can do it." Laelia smiled and nodded. 'Well, at least this could be fun!' Right then she remembered the Dog. She wondered if the Dog had actually put the thought in her mind. She still hadn't managed to figure out what all that thing could do.

"Oh! Professor, I forgot to mention one thing…I have a companion with me that you may want to know about. You see, there is a creature named the Disreputable Dog that is very attached to me and wouldn't betray me, so you don't have to worry about the name – heh – but she is very, very intelligent and happens to be very knowledgeable about many things. To make a long story short, she's been around for a long time, and she'll be wandering around and hanging out with me. Even though I pose as her owner, I don't have much control over what she does, though whatever it is, she usually knows what she's doing. So you don't need to worry-"

Suddenly the door flew open and in huffed a very irritated, tired looking lady.

"-about her…" Laelia trailed off as she watched the woman enter. Probably from lack of enough sleep and her concentration on Professor Dumbledore, the woman looked right passed Laelia and once Dumbledore had acknowledged her, she burst into her story in hopes of getting back to bed before she had to get up again for breakfast.

"Why, good morning, Professor McGonagall! How has your night been?" The old man's eyes glittered with the slight grin playing on his face. McGonagall – ah, Laelia remembered her! – missed the humor and looked at him incredulously, her eyes huge.

"Albus, I don't think my head has rested on my pillow for one single minute tonight! It seems that I have had another student out of bed and apparently Filch had it in his mind to set the punishment immediately, so he wouldn't stop pestering me until I went to talk to you. Oh, that man can be so annoying! And deranged – he finds so much pleasure in torturing the poor students. But, anyway, it was Harry again tonight. I don't know what to do about him. I don't know how far his dreams have managed to take him – literally, at this point. It's getting really bad, Professor, and I would feel awful if I had to punish him. I know it's the dreams and he can't help it. I know it's against the rules, but I really don't think he deserves any more punishments and-"Dumbledore put up his hand to stop the upset woman.

"Ah, don't worry. We can let it go. I agree with you. We'll just have to work with him to figure out what we can do to ease, if not control, the problem. Filch will just have to believe the meetings we'll have are Harry's punishments." He paused a moment, seeing her calm down. "I'm afraid I'll have to keep you out of bed for a moment longer though. I can explain the bulk later, but I need to make sure this gets done as soon as possible. Professor, you are going to go shopping in Hogsmeade today." McGonagall looked confused and Laelia shifted when she heard the mention of the plan, causing McGonagall to notice the girl sitting in her pjs in the chair next to her. The professor jumped.

"Oh! I didn't notice you there! I'm sorry, um…what's your name? Er, do I know you?"

Laelia smiled and replied simply with "That's alright, no, I'm Laelia Sayre, a new student here." McGonagall wasn't quite satisfied, but Dumbledore continued before she could further question her.

"Actually, the plan is that you can go back to your room for a few hours and sleep and get ready to go shopping with Laelia once the stores open and you will help her buy all the supplies and clothing she needs for her stay here. I'll talk with you privately before you go to fill you in a bit, and when you get back I'll give you the rest before Laelia continues to inform myself. So now, Laelia, you can go ahead and sleep on the couch in the room on the right and I'll wake you up when it's time." Laelia got up, thanked the professor and went to rest on the couch, realizing just how tired she was as she sat down. After a moment, she fell asleep staring at the wall and wondering what that spell had gotten her into.

Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore gave the main ideas to McGonagall and told her an elf would be sent to pick her up and what was needed to be purchased. He guessed it would be okay if McGonagall asked Laelia about some things, as long as no one overheard them. Then McGonagall left looking forward to falling asleep on her bed. Finally, Dumbledore sat at his desk to ponder the current events before he dozed off.

Several hours later, Laelia woke to the pleasant feeling of an elf poking her awake. After a particularly sharp jab, she sat up to acknowledge the little creature.

"Yes?"

"Master Dumbledore would like you to get ready to leave in a few minutes. Professor McGonagall has arrived." The elf stood there staring at her.

"Well, alright. Tell them I'll be right out, then." With that the elf scurried out the door and closed it behind him. Sighing, Laelia stood up and stretched, looking around. 'What an odd room,' she thought. 'The pictures are particularly unnerving.' She watched as someone waved at her and smiled back. Once she had managed to get them to all look away, she changed into some normal Old Kingdom attire, but didn't dare to put on her Abhorsen-in-waiting outfit. It would definitely make her stand out. Checking to make sure that she didn't need to do anything else, she walked to the door and entered the room where Dumbledore and McGonagall were waiting. It took a lot for Laelia to suppress a yawn. She was so tired.

Well, she was, until a sharp squawk sounded from somewhere behind Professor Dumbledore. After that, she was pretty wide awake. Dumbledore moved to shush the bright bird behind him and Laelia got a chance to see what had managed to be so loud. 'Oh yes,' Laelia remembered, 'that phoenix or whatever. How, er, nice.'

"Good morning, Miss Sayre! It's time to head out to get your supplies. My, what an interesting outfit you have there!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall. Laelia looked down and shrugged. It was only a plain gown her aunt and cousin insisted on her wearing around the castle back home as she really didn't care to wear the more elaborate ones on a daily basis.

"Good morning, Professors." She looked at Professor Dumbledore and noticed the phoenix again. "Oh and you too, Fawkes…?" She hesitated, unsure if she correctly remembered the name of the bird. She smiled when the bird ruffled its feathers, looking satisfied. Turning to McGonagall she told her she was ready and once they said goodbye to Professor Dumbledore the pair left the office and headed through the castle to the massive front doors where they started on their way to Hogsmeade. Laelia tried to remember the path they took to lessen the chance of getting lost. Not that she didn't like to explore.

It was weird seeing the places that she read about every night with her mother. She took in as much as she could. She wished she could show her mother, even the Dog, but neither were around. She sighed in the silence that surrounded the two people. Which reminded her how much weirder and exciting seeing the people she knew about when she got back. They hadn't made it off Hogwarts grounds yet, so she looked around to become familiar with it. Then she noticed the forbidden forest. For some reason she felt like she couldn't tear her eyes away for a moment. She managed to begin pulling herself away from the forest, but just as she turned toward the professor, she thought she saw a shadow move amongst the trees. She didn't have much time to dwell on it as her eyes caught the sight of Hogsmeade in the distance. Pushing the shadow to the back of her mind, she filled her thoughts with Hogsmeade and Hogwarts until Professor McGonagall finally broke the silence to question her about her appearance. By the time she gave the Professor a better idea of the situation, they finally reached the stores, and they both decided to get a butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks for a quick breakfast before they got started.

The Three Broomsticks was pretty quiet at this hour, but they weren't alone. Once they sat down, the two started to chat and found they enjoyed each other's company more than they expected. They didn't dare talk about the Old Kingdom though, as there were some curious customers nearby. Finally, they left to get the shopping done.

"Wow, this is a nice little place. Too bad shopping isn't really my thing. Not that I had much time anyway." McGonagall agreed.

"Well, we can make it quick and easy so we can get back to work with Professor Dumbledore." They stepped into a robe shop. Laelia found it strange to see such a different kind of robes. You'd think they would be more similar. Fortunately, she was fitted quickly and found the perfect dress robe for a more formal occasion and they left satisfied.

The next shop proved to be more of a favorite of both student and teacher. The book store. Professor McGonagall decided what Laelia would need to catch up on previous years and for the current year. After, they both spent a considerable amount of time engrossed in their own random books. McGonagall noticed Laelia's interest.

"It looks like you really enjoy reading." She raised her eyebrows. Not looking up from the page she was reading, Laelia explained.

"My mother was a Librarian's Assistant for several years. All that time gave her an interest in knowledge and exploration. It was passed on to me. I definitely didn't get it from my father!" Laelia laughed to herself and grinned. Her father, her uncle's best friend from school in Ancelstierre, was very different from her mother when it came to school. But then, there was a reason she got that interest…why she had spent so much time by herself in that library. Well, there was the Dog, but besides that life saver – literally – it was a pretty lonely time for her mother. When she finally looked up, she noticed McGonagall was a little curious about what she just said.

"What do you mean the library got her interested in exploration?"

"It wasn't exactly a normal library. It's huge and not even the highest position in the clayr's library knows all it contains. Trust me, it's very special. There were many rooms that could only be opened with special keys as they were too dangerous for various reasons. Let me tell you, it would take way too long to describe even a little bit about it. It was a little world in itself. Speaking of time, I would suggest that we get a move on and get some of my other supplies!" McGonagall seemed very surprised and had to snap herself out of her thoughts before she reacted to the last statement. She paid for the last few books and they left.

After about another hour, they had purchased all her potions supplies as well as all the other supplies she might need for her other classes and regular clothes. Before they left, Laelia exchanged some of the money she had with her into the correct currency. It wouldn't do to have other students notice the peculiar money and question her. It wasn't until she could once again see Hogwarts nearby that she realized that the bank had been able to exchange _her_ money. She stopped in her tracks and looked at the professor, who was laden down with stuff. "But- but, how…?! The money- what?!" The professor immediately realized what she was talking about.

"I don't know. Ithought aboutthat right after we left. I never cease to be amazed by something or other, and I've been at Hogwarts for too long for my health. I'm assuming it's nothing, but maybe I'll mention it to Dumbledore." Laelia nodded, a little apprehensive, but managed to start walking again.

"Yeah. Yeah that's a good idea. Weird." Once they got back to Dumbledore's office they were greeted by the headmaster as well as a few other teachers. Laelia recognized one almost instantly, and not because Professor McGonagall had mentioned a few of her collegues at the Three Broomsticks.

"Welcome back. Laelia you can go change into your new robes and clothing and we'll get started on settleing you in as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Wanting to get out from under the intense stares of the new arrivals, she nodded and hurried into the room she had changed in earlier. Wow, making her first appearance as a real student wasn't so far away and she still had a lot of kinks to work out. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for the inevitable drama that waited to unfold.

END! Well, there you go. Chapter two. Ugh, I have to get more used to dialogue. And I have a lot to figure out. If you ever have any suggestions, feel free to suggest! Um, I hope you were able to get a lot out of the info I've given you. Oh yeah, and about the Hogsmeade trip, it was pretty vague. Yeah, that would be mainly because I haven't read the books for awhile and I don't remember a lot of specifics at the moment. I guess I'll have to read and refresh my memory so I can add more info. That always helps me to get into a particular story. Well, review! I need feedback. Thankies! I gotta go read up, so that's it for now. Oh and thanks to my first reviewer, Destiny's Dragon!


	3. Chapter 3 Gretchen and Henry

Chapter 3 Laelia Sayre

A NEW, REVISED VERSION OF THE CHAPTER!!!!!!(AT END)!!!!!!!!!!! It's time for a new chapter and hopefully things will speed up from there. Hmm…yeah. Not really much to say. Can't think of anything. I haven't had much input. I actually don't blame you. I usually review somewhere into the story once it has actually started going. BUT – I really wanna know if anybody cares, I will read your reviews and reply, really! I'm not asking for an essay or anything, just like a sentence that tells me if it sucks or not. Thanks, really. So I'm really trying to get Laelia started. I hate writing the beginning of stories, one spends most of the time describing the setting and whatever. Oh well, I should probably get on to it so I can get to the good parts…oh yeah, and about Mogget and Sabriel, they will come in later, just not now.

Disclaimer: (thought I'd add one) I don't own the charas or world of Harry Potter, nor do I own the charas or the Old Kingdom. I am the creator of the particular plot (story) and Laelia and whatever else really. Common sense but I thought I'd mention it. If I were either author in disguise I would probably have thought of a better pen name and my writing would be more brilliant. Whatever. On to the story.

begin chapter 3 'Gretchen and Henry' (if you want a title, otherwise just ch.3)

Laelia sat down on the couch after changing her clothes and rubbed her forehead, sighing. Suddenly a rush of magic surged through her, startling her. She jumped up from the couch and gasped, but once she had a moment to think she realized she recognized the feeling.

"Oh!" Now she was a little embarrassed, with her heart pounding in her chest. "My charter mark! I totally forgot. I'll have to disguise that…" Touching the mark on her forehead released the energy that a vessel of such a great magic would. It was almost a charter stone that channeled the power, only as a single charter mark on one's forehead. The problem now, though, was how to keep it from being seen from others, unless Dumbledore thought that no one would give it enough thought to go to the trouble of hiding it. She sighed again. She was now realizing there were plenty of little details that could make all the difference now that she was going to live here as a real student. Just as she was thinking this, one of the portraits decided to try starting a conversation.

"Hello, dear. Over here! I couldn't help but notice – were you outside? It looks like you have a little something on your forehead, right smack in between your eyebrows." An old, cheery, grandmother-like woman in elaborate dark robes waved her over. The woman looked too nice to ignore, so blushing, a little embarrassed from the comment, she walked over to the portrait, which was next to a portrait of a tall, skinny old man who had decided to read a book at the desk he was sitting at. He smiled at her to be polite, but hastily returned to his reading, finding it more interesting. Or so she thought, as he suddenly spoke without looking up from his book:

"Honestly, Gretchen, your sight continues to worsen no matter how many times Dumbledore has that Dropsy elf retouch that paint of yours. That is obviously not dirt, Merlin's sake, that's some sort of mark that's _supposed_ to be there!" Gretchen took a moment to pout before answering him.

"If you're going to insult me, Henry, look at _me_ instead of that awful book. There's a reason only a few copies were made!" She turned to Laelia with an apologetic look. "Excuse us dear, we just have a hard time accepting that we had the great fortune of being hung too close to each other. I've found if you try really hard, you eventually can't hear him anymore-"

"Awful book?! This is a special edition! Of course there's only a few. Bloody hell, woman! Why is it so hard to understand? You're just jealous that I'm smarter for it. You'll never get your hands on this- it's all mine."

Laelia could swear she heard a cackle coming next, but Henry composed himself immediately and turned to her, Gretchen huffing indignantly in the background. "Don't listen to her. She doesn't make sense most of the time anyway. I do agree with that 'too close' statement however. One of the few things we agree on." Gretchen rolled her eyes. Laelia stood there uncomfortably for a second, noticing they were expecting her to say something. She didn't want to look like she was on either side. She finally opened her mouth, but just as she took a hesitant breath, someone cracked the door open and called,

"Laelia, dear, do you need any, um, help in there?" It was Professor McGonagall, which she could see when the professor stuck her face past the door. Once again Laelia was interrupted in her reply. The voice came from the professor's side of the wall.

"I can't imagine why we're dealing with this girl if she can't even put some clothes on by herself. This is ridiculous. You're wasting my time, Girl!" Laelia blushed. McGonagall's head disappeared into the other room as she turned to scold the speaker.

"Really, Severus, that's enough!" Her head poked past the door again. Then she looked around and felt rather foolish with her head through then doorway. "Actually, can I just open the door now?" Laelia smiled.

"Yes, of course." She paused to let the professor open the door. "I thought of one little matter that we haven't discussed yet, Professor." Professor Dumbledore stepped forward.

"What might that be? Hurry since the professors have limited time to talk before the Heads and Prefects arrive. They've been invited over to witness your 'sorting'. And then whatever prefects are in your house will escort you to the dormitories and get you settled." His eyes twinkled as he watched Laelia's confused face. "Of course, you already have a house, but we have to figure out which one you arrived in. Then we'll let them 'figure out' that there's an open bed that you can use, although we already know that. But now, it's your turn to speak." Laelia smiled. The old man's eyes were twinkling again.

"Alright. Well, I just realized that we may have to do something with the charter mark on my forehead, that is unless you think it won't make a difference with the rest of the students…" Dumbledore thought a moment.

"No, I rather like it." He laughed, but Laelia noticed that Professor Snape scowled behind him. "Just leave it like it is, maybe tell people it's a strange birthmark or something that runs in the family. Or maybe just tell them it's part of your everyday style!" Laelia laughed and shook her head.

"I'll think of something. Now, about this sorting…"

"Ahh, yes. The details. This is how it will go: All of the prefects and Heads will come at 6 o'clock and I will introduce you to them as they will be the main people to settle you, a new student, in at her new school. Then you will be sorted by the sorting hat which will actually be searching your recent memories to figure out which house you appeared in, the students not knowing anything is out of the ordinary. Then, when we start talking about room arrangements, someone from your new house will know that there is an extra bed in one of the rooms – the one you appeared in – and we will all be pleased and send you off with those prefects of that house. You will then answer whatever questions they throw at you as if you were a new student that has come from a different part of our world – basically as if you are a student transferring from a different school of magic. Make up your own story and share it with me later so I will not contradict anything you say, which could bring suspicion. Just try to make your home sound like something in this world, I suppose. You will probably be stuck with a lot of catch up homework tonight so that you know some of the basics when you start tomorrow. I'd better hand you over to your new professors now though. It's getting late."

"I think I can handle that. Um, who's first?" Professor McGonagall stepped forward.

"We can just step in that room over there. We'll practice a few spells with my little intro, so you'll need your wand-"She paused when she saw Laelia freeze and her eyes widen.

"My _wand_?! I don't have one!" It was McGonagall's turn to widen her eyes.

"What? Oh, I thought you had one, I didn't even mention it before when we were shopping! I didn't think your magic was _that _different! Albus, I'll have to take her now! The other students would know something was up the moment they knew she didn't have a wand!"

Almost without waiting for a reply from the headmaster, McGonagall grabbed a surprised Laelia and was out of the castle in record time. Laelia heard her mumbling the entire way back to Hogsmeade, but could only make out a few sentences like, "Sometimes I just wish I liked flying those bloody brooms!" All Laelia could think about then, though, was having her own wand. When she was little listening to her bedtime stories, she always wished she could try using one of those sticks for magic. At the same time, she wondered how handicapped these people felt having to depend on such a stick. At least her connection was firmly stuck to her forehead, making it unlikely that someone could possibly manage to steal it. Finally they stood in front of a little shop with an unreadable sign due to accumulating dirt and filth.

They stepped inside and were greeted by a warm, but lonely shop with dim, candle-lamp lighting, walls stuffed with shelves of boxes and a big, dark wood counter with the register in the corner.

"Hello?" McGonagall wasn't going to wait for the owner to notice them, she was in a hurry. Soon they heard some rustling noises and finally a short little man appeared from the back room.

"Why hello, Professor. What can I do for you?"

"Good afternoon, Mr. Viridian, we're here to get this young lady a wand, and quick." The shopkeeper looked confused but nodded and grabbed several boxes. He grabbed a couple more just in case.

Looking at Laelia, he asked, "Well, dear, do I need to explain the process or can we get started?"

"We can get started." She said this contrary to her thoughts that we saying that she had no idea what the process could actually be. But, she was in a hurry, after all. It couldn't be that difficult.

"Good. Now these first few are made of the materials that I have been using for a long time, but the last few are made from my new experimenting. They all work fine, of course." He handed her the first wand, and…nothing happened. The same thing happened for the second and the man decided to try one of his new experiments. Laelia was a little apprehensive when she saw the skeptical expression on Professor McGonagall's face. This one worked, however, and it worked very well. Huge sparks flew everywhere, and one of the larger green ones caught on the chair sitting nearby, which started a brief fire. Those short moments were filled with the man scrambling frantically to fix the problem. Laelia didn't notice for a moment. She was amazed by her wand and was glad that it was specifically _hers_. It was a wonderful feeling, that strong energy. It was so different from being lost in the charter, but it was just as invigorating. A second later she noticed the chair and gasped, her hand flinging to her mouth. 'Oh, how embarrassing!' She thought.

Noticing the shopkeeper's struggles, Professor McGonagall sighed and with a flick of her wrist, she put it out immediately. Once he had calmed down, she asked what it was so they could pay and be off.

"I-i-it's a-an eleven and a quarter of applewood with a tail hair of a ruddy centaur, the color I mean – you know, reddish-brown, and the fur from the mane of a sphinx, bonded together by the dust of the scales of a Chinese Fireball dragon." Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, it most certainly sounds like you had a lot of time on your hands – what a concoction." Mr. Viridian frowned slightly.

"Yes, well, that's what happens when you have a competitor such as Mr. Ollivander whose family has been in the business since 382 B.C. Not many people know my store exists."

"Well I would suggest that you try cleaning off your store sign out there – can't read a thing!" He scowled this time.

"Can't. A few years back some rotten kid cursed it to be forever filthy and I don't know the counter curse. And then I can't even buy a new sign as I don't have enough business to bother." Both Laelia and McGonagall sighed at the miserable man. McGonagall stepped to the counter and placed ten galleons next to the register and turned toward Mr. Viridian.

"We really must be going. Lucky to have had a match for her." She nodded towards Laelia who grabbed the box the wand had come in. She loved the feel of it, how it felt specially connected to her. They walked toward the door, and Laelia turned one last time to give the man an encouraging smile.

Once outside, Professor McGonagall motioned for Laelia to be quiet. Laelia looked at her curiously. The professor took out her own wand, whispered a spell, and watched, satisfied as the dirt on the sign disappeared and the white letters shone brightly on the dark blue background. Smiling, the professor turned to Laelia and started walking briskly back to Hogwarts. Laelia followed, her eyebrows raised, and looking at the sign as she passed it, the letters were suddenly embellished with silver. She giggled. _Always wanted to use that mark. (Thoughts in italics now, ha ha, fickle me!)_ She ran to keep up with the professor, her new wand at her side.

They were now back in Dumbledore's office, and an exhausted Laelia was now finishing the notes the last professor was giving her as the introduction to his subject. Her hand hurt badly, but she loved the pretty new ink color that Dumbledore gave her. He had told her that the black ink was too common and boring, but he found her pen from the Old Kingdom was pretty fascinating. It was a lovely navy blue plume with white spots with dark gray centers in a rather odd shape with wavy fringe. Laelia rather liked it too.

Just as she was finishing her practice with the last few spells, everything was halted by a knock on the door. The professors finished putting away their supplies and Professor Flitwick managed to tell her that she could learn more about any subject (more specifically, Charms!) by visiting the library (strongly suggested) by the time Professor Dumbledore called the students inside the office. By then the room was pretty crowded, but the Headmaster managed to magic in a few more comfy chairs for the new arrivals to sit in. He motioned for Laelia to go stand by him behind his desk. She obeyed but wished she couldn't feel all the stares following her that were coming from the Prefects. Once she was settled, Dumbledore began.

"Good afternoon, all. This young lady right here is Laelia Sayre. She is a transfer student from a far away school who will be joining us as a 6th year tomorrow. I will be introducing her to the rest of the school tomorrow morning before the start of breakfast. I trust that you all will help her adjust and make her feel at home, as if she has been here since her first year." He paused to receive the nods from all the students. "Alright then, on to the main topic! You were called here to meet her before everyone else. She has yet to be sorted and with you and our professors present as witnesses, the sorting hat will do its job. Why not in front of the school like everyone else? Because it would mess up the flow of classes tomorrow and you all know it would be horrible if you missed part of your first class of the day!" The students smiled, and some rolled their eyes jokingly. "So, here we go! Laelia sit here at my desk and I will go get the Sorting Hat." She sat and Dumbledore fetched, and everything was ready for the big moment. The headmaster asked Laelia if she was ready, and after nodding, he placed the too-big hat on her head.

'_Why hello, there. It seems that my usual methods aren't good enough this time. Oh well, I still get to meet you. Let's see here…ahh, here we have it. I get better at this every time. Found it already. Either that or these students get brighter every year without all their thoughts jumbled together. _Laelia mentally smiled uncomfortably. It was a pretty weird experience, actually feeling the hat go through her mind. _Ahh, it seems you made your grand entrance in _

"GRYFFINDOR!" Laelia jumped, unaware that it was going to yell.

"Hey!" She leapt up and tossed the hat on the desk, surprised. The hat was facing her and it 'tsk'-ed at her and grumbled to itself. Dumbledore smiled at the pair as the Gryffindor students cheered. Laelia smiled at the two. But when she actually looked at them her smile faltered for a second. It was that girl she had seen sleeping by that book next to that fireplace. _Hmm…_She immediately started smiling again in hopes of getting away with the frown without anyone noticing, but the girl noticed. _Darn…used to be good at that._ So, to bring less attention to herself, she turned to Dumbledore who announced her as the newest member of the house of Gryffindor.

Just as the headmaster had planned, once they started discussing the next action, the one girl raised her hand. Dumbledore called on her.

"Professor, there's an empty bed in my dorm room; she could sleep there instead of having to bring in another bed." Dumbledore smiled.

"That's a great idea, Hermione, that helps a lot. Why don't you and Seamus take her to the Gryffindor tower and get her settled in now? That will be all." He dismissed the other professors and students. Professor McGonagall stayed behind a moment.

"Miss Sayre, I would like you to know that I am your new Head of House in this school. You will probably end up coming to see me once in awhile." With a smile, she left to follow the other professors. Laelia turned to her new fellow house members. Hermione and Seamus grabbed their bags. Laelia did the same.

"Got your trunk taken care of?"

"Er, I don't have one…" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"That's all you brought?" Asked Seamus. Hermione gave him a reproachful look that told Laelia that she thought that she was poor and didn't own anything else, which meant that he was being incredibly rude. Wait till she saw how much was packed in there. Seamus took the hint and promptly apologized.

"That's okay. Really." She tried her best to hide the sort of embarrassed amusement that she felt. Hermione opened the door.

"We should head back now. Seamus and I can show you around and I'll settle you into your room." Laelia nodded and followed the two out of the office and down a flight of stairs until they reached a hallway.

"Now, the corridors and stairways and rooms all have their tricks here at Hogwarts, and it may take you awhile to remember all of them. I would strongly suggest you never go around without someone until you do, and maybe read _Hogwarts, A History_. That helped me. For example, corridors and stairways lead to tons of places throughout the castle and some paths change on different days. Then some steps on the stairs might disappear, or you may find yourself trying to open the door that is really just a wall in disguise. Some other doors are hidden, such as behind tapestries and paintings, and some will only open for some cue. So, bringing company will be useful if you get into trouble." She said this as she turned the corner and passed behind a tapestry. Laelia took a mental note of that. Tapestry with a fox hunt…right. Just as soon as she stepped through after her guides, she was bombarded by a full trash bin that apparently came from the nearby classroom with its door open. Well, she noticed the doorway as soon as she got a particularly sticky bit of crumpled up parchment that was covered in some unknown substance.

Apparently, it was in fact done by a cackling little man who had just zoomed out of the doorway, and not the room itself. Well, that would make sense, but this place seemed to have a mind of its own anyway.

"Ahh, this would be Peeves, the wonderful resident poltergeist." Said poltergeist sniggered. "How _are_ you, Peeves?" He leveled himself with her face and was about a few inches away when he blew a giant raspberry, soaking her with poltergeist spit. Hermione grinned sarcastically at him before he swooped down on Laelia. Laelia gave him a look that silently warned him not to tick her off. Surprising both Hermione and Seamus, he paused, but only momentarily. In one fast motion he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out an ink bottle which he managed to upset over Laelia's head.

So, that's how he wanted to play it, did he? Fine. She'd use a little magic of her own.

"Peeves-" she began, but the attempt was apparently fruitless as she saw him reach into his pocket again.

So she whistled. Not any whistle, but a whistle with a combination of Charter marks that kind of worked like the sixth bell, Saraneth, which was the Binder. Only these marks worked at a lesser level on the living, not the Dead. It was a magic-infused note that caused Peeves to go rigid.

"Go away, Peeves," she commanded, and he floated away down the hall with an expression of mixed confusion and fright. Her companions stared at her.

"Wow, no one's been able to stop Peeves like that without a wand before, except for Slytherin's ghost, the Bloody Baron." Seamus said. Hermione snapped out of it and decided they should keep going. They obviously hadn't noticed the magic, consciously anyway, as they had sort of been entranced as well. Apparently they hadn't thought anything of the whistle either, not that they would be thinking along those lines anyway.

"Oh, and here – _scourgify!_" Instantly the ink disappeared from Laelia's hair, face and shoulders. She smiled gratefully. They then moved on.

"Right, so…oh yes, the Gryffindor dormitory is known as the Gryffindor Tower, and it's just up a little ways. The entrance is at the portrait of the Fat Lady. She's in a pink silk gown. You can't miss her. Unless she's out roaming of course." _Of course._ Laelia thought sarcastically. But then she remembered how the pictures here could move and she immediately understood.

"So the first room once you enter is the Common Room. That's where we Gryffindors hang out and do our homework. There is plenty of space and there are a bunch of couches and chairs around the fireplace. A lot of people tend to stay down there pretty late. Then, opposite the fires we have the girls' and guys' dormitories. You'll have to climb a staircase to get to the room. I'll show you around, and I'm sure your new roommates will want to say 'hi'." They stopped in front of the portrait.

"Well, here we are, home!" Hermione smiled. "Oh, and the password's 'Snicket'." The Lady smiled at Laelia before she swung forward to reveal a round opening in the wall. She followed Hermione and Seamus through the hole into what had to be the Common Room. At first, being behind the two regulars, no one noticed anything different. She went unnoticed for about a total of one minute before a tall, freckled red head jumped up from one of the comfy-looking couches and bounded over to the two.

"Hey! What was it about? Oh, and Seamus, thanks for filling in for me. I was at the Hospital Wing for ages. Ginny must have gotten me with one of the newest Wizard Wheezes experiment. Haven't even heard of it yet, and-" It was then that he noticed a third person in the group. His eyebrows shot up and for a moment he couldn't say anything, then all of a sudden yelled out,

"Who's that?" Immediately every head in the room turned to see what Ron was looking at, except for her two companions. Laelia froze. _Well, this is just a little uncomfortable. Just a little bit…_Hermione rolled her eyes exasperatedly and hissed at the red head,

"Ron! That, er, volume was a little unnecessary!" Ron blushed a little but was still focusing on the girl behind her. Hermione noticed this and accusingly said, "Why don't you ask the girl herself. She's right there you know!"

"Er, well then, who _are_ you?" Laelia paused for a second.

"I'm Laelia Sayre, new transfer student…from, uh, from the States!" Why that popped into her head, she didn't know, but he seemed more appeased than she thought he would.

"What year are you?" He had a strange, undecipherable look on his face.

"Tomorrow is the start of my 6th year, only the first here at Hogwarts, obviously."

"Oh." That's all he said. He just kept staring at her, unmoving for a few moments, even after most heads had turned back to what they were originally focused on, until someone else put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him out of his thoughts.

Only it was Laelia's turn to stare, which he ignored with ease. She understood why though, he was probably totally used to it. She had an idea of the feeling herself, but not just because of the staring contest that had concluded only moments ago. But she couldn't help herself. She had finally laid eyes on the protagonist of the special story she had only let her mother read her as she grew up. She was actually about three feet from him.

Who was it? _Harry Potter_ himself, of course.

end Ch.3

Hmm……well I changed the ending to make it sound less ridiculous. But now I have to start the next chapter and the weekend is over. It's just too bad I wasn't in the mood to write Saturday as I was stuck inside doing nothing for almost the whole day. Very nerve-wrecking, let me tell you. Not having anything to do and fidgeting around, needing something to do. shudders bad memories. Well I hope you enjoy this ending more than the last. I know I do. Until next time seeya, oh – and don't forget to review. You know you want to. ;) I mean I know it might be hard to summon the strength to scroll down the last inch or so and click on the drop down menu, click on review and type, like, a sentence at least, but come on. Please? Pretty please? I will thank you for your strenuous, valiant efforts. It's all I'm asking for, a – okay, I'll stop. Now I'm sounding desperate. But I don't care about the vast number of reviews I get, I just want some feedback, k? Alright, I'll sleep, go to school, and try to find time to write. Oh yeah – and post this new version. That may be helpful! u G'night!


	4. Chapter 4 But, my seat?

Chapter 4 Laelia Sayre

Bonjour! So, we're finally getting into the story! Yay! Well, we've finally gotten to the first academic day for Laelia, which means a ton of work as she has a lot of catching up to do. She's even taking an extra Charms/Transfiguration class in year 5 to get more practice time. Oh and once-in-awhile after school or weekend potions classes. Fun, fun! I dunno I may change that. Hmm. But I suppose I'll just keep the rest to myself and let you find out what's coming up.

Thanks to SnoopyGirl77 for reviewing! Yeah, I love Garth Nix's stuff. I even read Shade's Children which was weird but good at the same time…heh…but anyway, I'm glad you like the story, it's the encouragement to update that I need.

Oh, and by the way, like half this chapter was written right after Ch. 3, but then I got stuck, and well, I'm just trying to move past the chapter and on to the next, so I'm sorry if it's weird. Actually, it would be really nice if you guys gave suggestions about stuff so I know what I'm doing right, if anything. Thanks.

On to the story!

Chapter 4 Bloody Baron

"Huh? Wha…eew! Disgusting!" Laelia closed her mouth just in time before her wake-up call slobbered over her face again. It seemed that the Dog decided it was time to show up. Laelia grimaced. She started to sit up, but she immediately had to squint against the bright light coming from the windows.

"Why is it so bright in here?" She wondered more to herself than to the Dog. But the mutt decided to answer her anyway.

"Probably because you're downstairs in the common room instead of in your bed behind the curtains." At first Laelia laughed tiredly, but when she didn't get a response, she frowned. She couldn't see because of the blinding light in her eyes. Oh, the early morning confusion.

"What? How did I get down here?" Finally, the sun was covered by a mass of clouds and she could properly look at her surroundings. She gasped.

"Oh no! I must have fallen asleep doing my homework! Oh, this is awful - not even started on my first day and already more behind than I should be!" She started scrambling around gathering her work that was spread out over the nearby table, pushing her hair behind her ear. The Dog grinned and sat, completely amused at her disarray.

"You know, you'd better put that stuff away before anyone comes down to go to breakfast as you probably don't want them to be getting suspicious about you being behind the rest of your year. And you may want to head upstairs too for a shower. You look a mess." Laelia rolled her eyes.

"And you might try to be nice to me 'cause I bookmarked every page you'll be needing for your homework." Laelia stopped mid-reach for the last of her papers. It was her turn to grin. She looked over at her savior.

"Now I'm starting to be glad that you're such a nosey creature. And that you like reading books. Gee, you _do_ know a lot of tricks, what a smart little doggie!" For a second, the Disreputable Dog took a brief moment to look indignant, but then the next she was threatening to pounce on Laelia and to give her a lethal slobber attack. Laelia giggled as she grabbed her stuff and just barely made an escape up the stairs to her dorm room.

* * *

By the time she got to the room, everyone was up and were now getting ready. Hermione, Lavender and Parvati glanced at her as she rushed in the room, but then went back to their morning routines. Laelia took the chance and ran at the bathroom doorway just as Parvati looked to claim it herself. The latter scowled as the former slammed the door in her face in her hurry.

The shower was more like those in Ancelstierre, for which Laelia was grateful. She wouldn't be smelling any sort of sulfur for awhile. Once she had had a quick, cold shower, which successfully woke her up, she went to get dressed and noticed a bottle on the counter. It was _Sleekeasy's Hair Potion_. For some reason she felt a compelling need to try it. Unnecessarily, she glanced around, not that any of the girls could see her at the moment, and grabbed the bottle. After reading the label, she added a little to her hair and started combing it through her long black hair. After a few good minutes of brushing it evenly through her hair, it began to sparkle and left a shiny sheen in her hair that made her forget how messy it had looked not too long ago. She stood entranced by the shininess for a full minute before (presumably Parvati) started banging on the door, knocking her out of her reverie. She frowned for a second before throwing her clothes and robes on and took one last look at her hair before rushing out the door.

Laelia walked to her bed and sat down for a second. She caught Hermione's eye and smiled at her. Hermione came over and looked at her knowingly.

"Ha! I see you also have succumbed to the call of the Sleekeasy potion? Parvati will kill you when she realizes that you used hers. We'll have to get you one of your own soon, won't we? Your hair looks gorgeous by the way." Laelia suddenly felt ashamed about using the potion. Hermione noticed.

"Oh, don't worry, I did it too. That's how I found out about it. I have my own now, though, of course." She shuddered reminiscently as she thought of the confrontation with Parvati, and laughed.

"Well, you should hurry up and finish. You of all people would probably want to get down there on time." She noticed the new girl's sudden nervousness. Her usual serious, professional manner quickly replaced the relaxed one of a moment before.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I expect Professor Dumbledore will only be spending a minute or two on your introduction. You'll love it here, what happens in a few minutes won't mess up the rest of your time here. You'll probably only have everyone staring at you for half the time, the rest will be used up complaining of hunger." Laelia smiled at her new friend. At least she hoped that's what she was.

* * *

Her idea seemed to be right all the way down to breakfast. She was invited to sit by Hermione and her friends, mainly Ron Weasley, his sister Ginny, and Harry Potter. She still caught her breath whenever she saw him. It was stupid, she knew, but somehow she felt he was connected to her mother. She shook the thought out of her head and tried to focus on something else.

Laelia watched as the rest of the school filed in to the Great Hall to sit at their respective tables. Then she noticed Professor Dumbledore, who winked at her before returning to his lively conversation with…who was it? Maybe the Herbology teacher? She tried to remember her name, but to no avail.

The time after that and before the announcements went by as if Laelia wasn't there. She thought she had been talking to Ginny, but now she wasn't sure. All she knew was that it was time, and somehow she had this foreboding sense that some of the students knew why she was really there. She pushed that idea away. _No,_ she thought, _that doesn't make sense at all._ She instinctively pulled on the shrunken version of her bells (in their brown leather pouches on the leather sash) which she was now wearing as a choker to keep it close by. But there was no reason to be using them, right?

Everyone turned to look as Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat to speak. They had been thinking more along the lines of going right to the eating, but the obviously special announcement had their interests peaked as well. Laelia sighed. She wouldn't mind eating now either.

"Good morning, Hogwarts! I would like to take a few moments time before we eat our wonderful feast to introduce the newest member to our 6th year class, whom you may or may not have noticed this morning. Laelia Sayre, if you would please stand up a moment so we know whom I am talking about – she has been sorted into Gryffindor already, so you will not have the pleasure of seeing a sorting but rather the pleasure of greeting her and making her feel at home." Laelia felt as if she had been standing for too long, but she looked at the students, pretending she was just looking out at a crowd in Belisaere as she stood by her family, being as regal yet amicable as possible at the moment. She noticed that some faces were less interested to see her, and her polite smile faltered when she noticed someone who looked maybe a little too interested in her. She tried to quickly regain her composure and stared the individual down for a moment before moving on. Hopefully he found the look she gave him a threat. Suddenly she realized that Dumbledore was closing and she could sit down.

"Thank you, Laelia. Alright then! Let's eat!" With a flourish, the headmaster sat down as food filled serving plates on all the tables. Laelia sank down into her seat, contemplating that look the boy had had on his face. Hermione gave her a questioning gaze, but a quick glance and a shake of her head was all that was needed to avoid the topic.

The Gryffindors started on their meals, discussing the coming academic day. Laelia had three classes with the 6th years and one with Ginny in Charms. But first she had Potions, Transfiguration, and then History of Magic after lunch. Hermione was giving her pointers on how classes were run by each teacher and giving tips on how to make a class a successful one, with Ron constantly interrupting with his own opinions, mostly sarcastic. Laelia noticed during all her listening that Harry was quieter than the other two, and she noticed that Ginny recognized it too and shot concerned glances in his direction once in awhile. Maybe she would ask her about it later.

"Geez, guys, thanks, but I can only handle so much info at once!" She finally had to stop the lecturing when she noticed the Hall was noticeably less crowded than the last time she had looked around. "Anyway, maybe we should head down to class now…I don't want any chance of being late to Professor Snape's class."

"No you probably won't." Hermione agreed. They all grabbed their stuff and headed out through the doorway on their way to the dungeons, saying good-bye to Ginny, who was off to Divination. Not too long after however, she heard a whistle somewhere not too far behind her. She froze, recognizing the pitch as that of Kibeth, the Walker. Harry almost ran into her, not expecting her to stop all of a sudden. Laelia didn't notice. She breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened, realizing that the whistle hadn't been infused with the magic needed to make that pitch hold the power of the third bell. Laelia turned when she heard a voice coming from somewhere close to her on her left. It turned out to be the one boy she had noticed earlier.

"Did you recognize the tune or something? I'm surprised. I don't have much of a singing voice, or a whistling voice, for that matter." All Laelia could do was stand and stare at the boy as she recovered from her shock. She didn't like the nonchalant air about the way he said that paired with the look on his pale face. But then again, after the look during breakfast, he wouldn't be hinting at anything so soon if he knew anything, right? That course of action just didn't seem to fit in whatever evil plot she was included in this time.

It felt like she had been staring at him for a few minutes, but really had not even been a single minute. This was good, considering she probably had just enough time to get to class now. Laelia turned on her heel, her confused fellow Griffindors glad to be moving away from the conversation.

"Let's just get to class. I'm not in the mood for some random argument." Hermione smiled a little nervously at that.

"See, Ron? Maybe you should learn from Laelia and control yourself once in awhile. It would do us all a lot of good." She looked pointedly at the redhead, who was glaring back at her. Harry noticed his friend's intake of breath.

"Maybe you should start now, eh, Ron?" He sighed in relief as Ron closed his mouth, ears starting to return to their usual color.

When the group entered the room, Laelia's friends led the way, while she took in her surroundings. With all the deformed specimen, she could tell the potions professor really had a passion for the craft. She was glad she was used to seeing rather deformed specimen otherwise she didn't think she would ever eat too much breakfast on mornings with potions first. At least for the first few classes anyway.

She looked back to the desks and spotted an empty one next to Ron, who was sitting behind Harry and Hermione. Since Professor Snape had yet to arrive, she decided to sit down for a moment before having to go ask what he wanted her to do. She didn't have long to wait at all before he swept into the classroom in a somewhat sour mood. She saw Harry and Ron exchange glances. She stood up and started to walk over to Snape's desk where he was extracting a pile of parchment from his bag hurriedly.

"Um, Professor, as this is my first day in your class I was wondering if there was anything you wanted me to do to get situated or-" Snape suddenly scowled at her, wiping the polite smile off her face.

"Miss…what was it?"

"Er, Sayre, sir?"

"Right, whatever, Miss Sayre. Do you honestly think that just because you're new I have to treat you all special?" Laelia's eyes widened, confused. _Huh? Did i miss something?_

"What? No! I meant that if you did anything a certain way that I-"

"Because honestly I see no reason to do anything of the sort…"

"-that I would need to know about so I can-"

"You know what you _can_ do, Miss Sayre, is kindly shut your mouth, turn around and sit back down." Laelia stood frozen for a second. _What in the Charter is going on?_ "Now, if you really don't mind!" It was then that she became aware of the quiet snickering and saw, as she turned around, that it was a group of Slytherins before noticing the silence of the Gryffindors. She slowly made her way back to her seat and noticed that it was occupied. _What now!_ The girl smirked at her, and Laelia quickly caught Hermione's eye for a second, who just slightly shrugged and bit her lip. She closed her eyes momentarily before doing anything else.

"Um, hello…" She didn't really know what to say, she was still so bewildered about the slight animosity radiating from the teacher at the front of the room whom she didn't even know.

"Yeah? What do you want?" The girl didn't even try to hide her amusement.

"Well, you see, I was kind of sitting here before I went to talk to the professor…"

"Whoops, my mistake - sorry." Contrary to her words, she made no indication of moving. The pale boy from before decided to speak.

"Hey, Pansy. I think the new girl wants you to get out of the seat." Laelia hated how she couldn't get control of the situation like she usually could, but she just wanted so badly for the day to go well. She also hated the way he said that like some big kid bullying an 8 year old. She was an easy target. If it were any other day, she could have, no – would have done something. But no, things were just not going her way.

"Oh, but I didn't know, Draco. It wouldn't be fair to just kick me out. I don't have anywhere to go." Laelia sighed. Then, resignedly, she slowly turned around to face the professor, who seemed to be purposely ignoring the obvious problem as he graded the last few essays he was about to hand out.

"Er…Professor. Are there any more desks that we can use?" Snape waited a moment before looking up.

"And why would you be asking me this?" Ugh, she wanted to scream at the ridiculousness of this stupid game.

"Well, it seems that er, Pansy here came late to class and chose my seat when I left it to talk to you."

"How is it your seat? You left it didn't you?" Aha, she had some proof!

"But, look! I left my stuff next…" She whirled around, only to see her bag strewn across one of the seatless lab tables. "What?"

"I don't know what you see, Sayre, but it looks like you felt like making a mess of my tables. I suggest you clean it up."

"But – fine. So where would you like me to sit?"

"By your things of course, you saved the spot." Laelia kept a blank expression on her face and walked to the back of the room. She was prepared to boost herself up on the table to sit there when she heard the professor's voice again.

"Oh, and don't even think of sitting on the tables either. Well, look at the time, itseems thatyou managed to waste a good chunk of my time- 20 points from Gryffindor." Laelia clenched her fists thinking about how this whole thing had been drawn out by everyone but her, and now she, the victim, was the nasty culprit. Well, at least he couldn't see the faces she made sitting on the floor behind everyone else. The only plus in an insanely negative situation. She sighed and took out some parchment with her quill and began to write down the notes that had appeared on the board. _Whatever…

* * *

_

Wow, the craziness. I decided to stop there and finish off the day with Chapter 5. Partly because I should be sleeping now. Partly because it seemed like an ending of sorts. Didn't think adding anything else on was necessary here. So yeah, I finally finished this stupid chapter. Tell me what you think and help me make future chapters better. Any suggestions, whatever, just review. I want to know from at least several of you to get several points of view. Er. Okay. I'll stop here for now. Maybe I'll get started on the next chapter tomorrow. Crap, spring break is almost over. Darn.


End file.
